Knock-down stand for display trays



Juiy 20, 1937. H. H. WILLIAMS KNOCK-DOWNYSTAND FOR DISPLAY- TRAYS Filed July 27, 1 936 2 Sheets-Sheet l 3, 1/3 Iifirney: v had, 4%

July 20, 1937. H. WILLIAMS I 2,087,421

KNOCK-DOWN STAND FOR DISPLAY TRAYS K n x 16? Patented July 20, 1937 UNE'E'EQ STAT Herman H. Williams,

Minneapolis, Minn, as-

signor to Northrup, King & Company, Minneapolis, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Application July 27,

7 Claims.

My invention provides a simple, rigid, and highly efficient stand or skeleton-like support for display trays; and, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices, combinations of devices and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and defined in the claims. The improved stand is adapted to support trays differing in character and useful purpose, but primarily has been designed to support stepped l9 trays such as used in the sale of seeds and the like.

Stands of the above character, when erected for use, while light in weight, are bulky in respect to the space occupied thereby. These stands are frequently furnished by the wholesale seed house for distributors located at various different remote parts of the country. To avoid the excessive expense of shipment and liability of breakage of these stands, my invention provides a knock-down structure in which the parts may be assembled in fiatwise condition and packed in compact form, and hence, shipped by freight or express, or otherwise, at the lowest possible transportation rate. This manner of compact shipment also eliminates the danger of breakage or damage to the parts and provides a structure that may be very easily and quickly erected at the place of use. The display of seeds and the like is a seasonal matter; and, hence, the knockdown stand, which is capable of being easily taken apart, packed in small storage space when out of use, and then again re-erected when the time for display again arrives, is highly desirable.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective showing the stand erected and used to support two trays for the display of seeds and the like, said trays being indicated by dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the improved stand, the trays being removed therefrom;

Figs 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1, one of the trays being shown in full, crosssectioned, and some of the parts of the stand being sectioned;

Fig. l is a fragmentary section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view partly in elevation and partly in section on the line B-6 of Fig. 3.

1936, Serial No. 92,742

The improved stand, as illustrated in the drawings, is made up of laterally spaced side frames and front and rear cross-tie members. Each side frame comprises tubular front and rear corner posts 7 and 8, rod-like post extensions 9 and iii, the upper and lower tie rods II and i2. The tie rods It and i2 are welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the tubular corner posts I and 8; The post extensions 9 and Iii may be, and preferably are, tubular for the sake of likeness. For an important purpose, which will presently appear, the post extensions it are much longer than the post extensions 9, while the posts I or 8 are of approximately the same length. The two side frames are rigidly but detachably tied together by suitable cross-ties. In this preferred arrangement, the front posts 1 are connected by a single.

tubular cross-tie rod or member [3, while the rear legs 8 are likewise rigidly connected by two vertically spaced cross-tie rods or members 14. The rigid but detachable connection between the said cross-tie rods l3 and i l and the corner posts are preferably made by coupling screws l5, best shown in Fig. 6, which are passed through perforations in the said corner posts and screw into the internally threaded ends of the tubular cross.- tie rods I3 or It, as the case may be.

The post extensions 9 are rigidly and permanently connected by cross-tie rods I6 while the inner post extensions iii are rigidly and permanently connected by upper and lower cross-tie rods ii. The said cross-tie rods l6 and I! may be and, preferably, are tubular, and at their ends they will advisably be spot-welded to the respective post extensions.

As is now evident, the side frames will be rigidly tied together when connected by the crosstie rods i3 and i l. When the post extensions are telescoped into the upper ends of the tubular corner posts, they will drop down as far as permitted in the one instance by the cross-tie l6,

and in the other instance by the cross-tie ll;

and when these tied or braced post extensions 1 are thus applied, further rigidity is given to the upper portions of the stand. To make the stand easily movable on the fioor, the lower ends of the corner posts are shown equipped with caster rollers E8. The extreme upper portions of the post extensions i0 may be utilized to support a display board E9, the ends of which are inserted through a slight cut in the upper ends of said posts, as best shown in Fig. 4.

It is evident, from the foregoing description, that the stand may be very quickly assembled or set up and very quickly disassembled or knocked down into component parts. When all of the separable parts are disconnected, they will consist of two side frames; the front post extensions 9 and permanent tie rods 16; the post extensions ID to cross-tie rods I I and board l9; and the three cross-tie rods |4-|4 and I3. As is evident, all of these parts may be closely packed together in fiat assembly and within a very small space, for the above noted purposes of shipment or storage.

The above described stand has been especially designed for supporting display trays of a form disclosed and claimed in my PatentNo. 2,076,690 of April 13, 1937, entitled, Display tray. Two of such display trays are shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Each tray comprises a metal sheet 20 bent into zig-zag form to form trough-like display compartments. The lower end of the sheets 253 have down-turned flanges 2| and the upper ends of said sheet have down-turned flanges 22. These flanges are adapted to beengaged in the one instance with the upper cross-tie rods l7 and the cross-tie rods l6, and in the other instance with the upper cross-tie rods I l and cross-tie rods it. When thus supported, the trays will be obliquely held with their compartments in stepped relation, one above the other, so that articles such as seed packages placed in the compartments and projecting above the front walls of the same may be simultaneously viewed by a person in front of the stand. 7

Preferably, the lower tray 26 is slightly narrower than the upper tray. The upper tray may be as wide as possible for entrance between the post extensions, but the lower tray should be slightly narrower so that, when it is placed between the front and rear posts, there will be a little clearance permitting the fingers of the hand to grip the edges thereof for the purpose of application and removal of the tray. 7

From the foregoing, the advantages of a device such as described are thought to have been made obvious. It will also be understood that the device described as to details of construction and arrangement of parts may be varied within the scope of the invention herein disclosed and claimed.

What I claim is:

1. A stand of the kind described comprising a pair of laterally spaced side frames, each com,- prising a front post, a rear post and horizontal tie rods rigidly connecting the respective front and rear posts, a pair of rear extension posts mounted for vertical movements on the rear posts of said side frames and rigidly connected by upper and lower cross-tie connections, the lower of said cross-tie connections limiting the downward movement of said rear extension posts on the rear posts of said side frames, a pair of front extension posts mounted for vertical movements on the front posts of said side frames and rigidly connected by a cross-tie connection that limits the downward movement of said front extension posts on the front posts of said side frames, and a display rack supported at its front on the crosstie connection of said front extension posts and supported at its rear on the upper cross-tie connection of said rear extension posts.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the posts of said side frames are tubular and said extension posts are telescoped into the upper ends thereof.

3. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the front posts of said side frames are rigidly but detachably connected by a cross-tie connection, and the rear posts of said side frames are rigidly but detachably connected by a cross-tie connection that is higher up than the cross-tie connecticn between the front posts of said side frames, said last two noted cross-tie connections serving to obliquely support a second display rack.

4. A stand of the kind described comprising a pair of side frames each made up of a pair of rigidly connected front and rear posts of approximately the same vertical length, a pair of short front post extensions mounted for vertical movements on the front post of said side frames and rigidly connected by a cross-tie, a pair of rear extension posts that are relatively long as compared with said front extension posts, mounted for vertical movements on the rear posts of said side frames and rigidly connected by upper and lower cross-ties, the latter of which is on approximatelythe level of the cross-tie connecting said front post extensions, and a stepped tray supported on the cross-tie connection of said front post extensions and on the upper cross-tie connection of said rear post extensions.

5. The structure defined in claim 4 in which said posts and post extensions are tubular and the latter are telescoped into the former.

6. A stand of the kind described comprising a pair of side frames, each made up of a pair of rigidly connected front and rear posts, a pair of rigidiy connected rear extension posts mounted for vertical movements on the rear posts of said side frames, a pair of rigidly connected front extension posts mounted for vertical movements on the front posts of said side frames, said rear extension posts being longer than saidfront extension posts, a display rack obliquely supported at its front and rear by said extension posts, the

front posts of said side frames being rigidly but detachably connected by a cross-tie connection, and the rear posts of said side frames being rigidly but dctachably connected by a cross-tie connection that is higher up than the cross-tie con- "nection between the front posts of said side frames, said last two noted cross connections serving to obliquely support the display rack.

7. The structure defined in claim: 6 in further combination with a stepped tray supported in oblique position on the last two noted cross-tie connections.

HERMAN H. WILLIAMS. 

